Meet Midori Tomita, Hawaiian Reggae DJ in Japan
Introduce yourself, degree information, and current job
Aloha, my name is Midori Tomita aka DJ Midori. I graduated from the University of Hawaii in 2015 with a BA in Korean. I am currently working as a Hawaiian Reggae DJ in Japan.
Tell us about your current work as a Hawaiian reggae DJ in Japan. What’s your favorite part about your work?
Currently, I DJ at the Hawaiian Festival, on the radio, and also perform as resident DJ every month at the Kahala Hotel and Resort in Yokohama. Also, I’m sharing Hawaiian music on my Instagram. In Hawaii, the local people love reggae music. I wanted to share this music with as many people as possible in Japan. My favorite part of my work is that it makes me happy when people tell me they’ve come to lova Hawaiian reggae after seeing me DJ and following my instagram. I am also really happy to connect with some of my favorite Hawaiian reggae artists, sometimes they leave comments or message me on Instagram.
What was the best reggae show/concert you saw while studying at UH?
The best reggae concert in Hawaii was the Major Rager event at the Waikiki Shell. I went there with my Japanese friends in Hawaii and it was a really big concert featuring local artists such as J Boog and Rebel Souljaz. We had a great time enjoying the 2 day event with locals.
What significance does Hawaii have on you and your family?
Hawaii feels like my second home because my parents love Hawaii, so they have taken me there every year since I was little. I grew up surrounded by Hawaiian culture, local friends, and Hawaiian music. Since then, going to UH has been my dream and my parents dream.
Talk about your experience as an international student at KCC and how was the transfer process to Mānoa?
After I graduated high school in Japan, I moved to Hawaii for college and attended KCC as an international student because I had taken Korean classes as a second language. So, I decided to major in Korean at UH. After 2.5 years at KCC, I transferred to UH, although I was an international student, my Korean major allowed me to improve my English and Korean.
What is your favorite memory from your time at UH Mānoa?
I have a lot of memories from my time at UH, but it was my graduation. I was really happy to graduate which had always been my dream. I received many lei from my classmates and family who came from Japan. It was really tough being away from my family and studying at UH but it was that moment when I realized that both my family and my dream came true.
What is your advice to current international students who can’t decide what to major in?
If you are unsure what to major in, I recommend finding something you enjoy learning and talking to a counselor for help. Many of my friends who came from Japan were majoring in Tourism or Business, but I wasn’t sure what to major in so I asked the counselor for advice. They asked me about my interests and I told them I was really into Korean at the time, so then I chose Korean studies as my major because I thought it would be fun to learn. The counselor explained the Korean program to me at UH and after hearing about it, I felt comfortable in my decision, so I really recommend talking to a counselor for help and to find something you enjoy learning.